More Documents Released Following Klobuchar’s Targeted Request

WASHINGTON – Presidents
Bush and Trump approved the release of confidential records provided to the
Senate Judiciary Committee following a specific request by Sen. Amy
Klobuchar. In a letter
to his committee colleagues, Chairman Grassley offered to help facilitate
access to specific confidential
records that members wish to discuss during the open session of the
confirmation hearing. Sen. Klobuchar was the only committee member to
submit a request.

“During
Justice Gorsuch’s confirmation, I worked closely with my Democratic colleagues
to assist them in asking the Administration to waive the [Presidential Records
Act] restrictions and [Freedom of Information Action Act] exemptions on a
reasonable number of Committee Confidential documents that those colleagues
intended to use at the confirmation hearing,” Grassley said
in the letter last week to his colleagues.“As
I did last year, I stand ready to work with President Trump and President Bush
to request that they waive the PRA restrictions and FOIA exemptions for a
reasonable number of documents that individual Members intend specifically to
use at the confirmation hearing.”

The
release pursuant to Sen. Klobuchar’s request includes four documents totaling
12 pages:

Records
are designated as “committee confidential” if they contain material legally
restricted from public release under the Presidential Records Act or the
Freedom of Information Act. This includes sensitive personal information, such
as full names, dates of birth, social security numbers, purely personal
communications with family members, and the like, along with government
information that federal law has deemed too sensitive at this time for public
disclosure. Following his trademarks of fairness and transparency, Grassley has
taken the unprecedented steps of making every “committee confidential” document
available to any senator and all Judiciary Committee aides at any time and in
digital searchable format.